The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-02-19
rIxY plorAlLs. PAsrlslEs.
How Cute Chinese chlidrsn Amaze Them
selves.


A peep into the play corner Of
Celestial Juvenile makes plain the fact
that few playthings suffice for the
pleasures of the youth Of the flowery
Kingdom. Dolls there are. 60 be sure;
but the girls make little use of them,
and they are often petted aud pattcd
By the boys. There does not seem 10
be- rs much make-belieye among the
childish players Of Chinatown as there
is among white children. Although =
Joss appeals 10 their imagination.
doll Is only doll. This may be ac-
counted for by the fact that about the
time when they would naturally begin
to take the most interest in wax feat
ures and sawdust bodies their atten-
ton is called 10 dolls of flesh and
blood. Hardly has the female Mon
golian fairly begun To steady herself in
her clumsy shoes than She Is made
saddlc-horsc for the month-old tots of
her own or some other family.
Sometimes the MISUNDERSTANDING lit
tie maid who bends her back to the
daily task of giving the baby daily
airing, has such tired expression OF
countenance that IL would appear To
be only fair, especially in view of the
disproportion of burden 10 bearer,
that places be changed for time.
But besides the human playthings,
there are odd puzzles To be put to-
gether or strung into certain shapes.
gorgeous glass marbles 10 roll about,
balls with strings attached, that may
not be lost. and colored blocks with
which To build wonderful houses.
bridges. and towers; diminutivc junks
Z 10 pull about on the floor, and toy
mirrors in which TO scan small yellow
features and narrow black eyes. The
abacus, or mechanical counter. is
( placed in the hands of the youth nj a
very early age, and il Is wonderful TO
/ Americans how quickly mathematics
1 are mastered in this manner by little
/ fellows hardly knec-high.
/ Chinese boys from eight 10 twelve
years of age play an odd game with
I sticks of wood about three feet long
] A stick Is grasped near the middle and
\ thrown sideways, the object being To
\ cross il on another stick lying upon
/ the ground. The secret of the game
I and the points To be made have never
/ been mastered by the American boys
who hang about the outskirts Of China
town. The small Californian votes il
a very dull play and cannot see what
there Is in IL To arouse the enthusiasm
of the youthful heather.
There is "A Chinese game however.
that never fails to arouse the interest
and envy OF the white boys. 1t Is
played with a loaded cork bestuck
with feathers. The game is to keep
the cork in the air. The first player
throws up the shuttecock, and before
IL again reaches the earth he twists his
foot and gives the descending object
a kick with his heel which sends il up
into the air. sometimes Is high as
twenty feet. When IL descends again
be tries To keep IL within range of his
feet as long as possible, but the play
soon fails To be- exclusive. Other boys
standing anxiously about manage To
get kick at IL, sending IL away from
the first player. who then joins the
outsiders in n general scramble to get
possession.
Sometimes in the play. when the
crowd Is punched together. the shut
tlccock is struck by tho hand, hut this
is not allowable unless il * In danger
I Oh TtttniuE int HIOullu DtibIc the
heel can strike ii. Expert players
keep their hands in their sleeves. hit
ting the fcathery object only with their
heel, and thus Keeping it from the
ground tor hours at time. Great
skill Is necessary for this game. and
where American boys have undertaken
10 play IL with the heather they have
always cut sorry figure.
When kite-tiying is To be- considered
the Chinese Of any age are children.
Old men take a. Keen delight In sail
ing paper dragons and birds as boys Of
ten. But this does not detract from
the pleasure of the boys. who unwind
the kite-string and watch their cher
ished toy float away with an intercs.
that flags not with each successful
aerial flight.
More Chinese kites are howr by
American boys in San Francisco ;han
in any other city in the United States,
but one Is not often afforded the spsc-
taclc Of Celestial youth flying "A kite
even in this cosmopolitan place, ~
they are usually sent up from roofs of
buildings. out of view from the street.
Top-spinning Is a favOritc amusc-
mcnt, and in this the Chinese are ex-
Dcrts. The length OF time in which
they can keep the humming object In
motion is quite remarkable. Sa,,
Francisco CAL.